a cherry blossom on an apple tree
by Amy Kathleen
Summary: Sano is attacked by Sakura kerosaki while coming home one night from gambling. Lieing to her boss, Gohei, Sakura tells him Sano's dead then warns sano that he and kenshin are in danger. murdurous assasin or simply fish out of water?


DISCLAIMER: I do not own any rurouni kenshin copyrights or any of that other legal stuff that makes my brain hurt.

A dark figure sat in a tree. The multiple weapons she carried were in their holders. The warrior was ready. The target was going to pass straight through that clearing. The fighter sat, poised, ready, like a folded switch blade; ready to spring into attack at any moment. A twig snapped in the distance, and soon, a wavering, off-key song could be heard:

_Sa-ku-R,'_

_Sa-ku- RA-a-a-a-a,_

_I don't really know the w-oR-R-R-ds_

_And I'm singing off K-E-E-E-E-E-E-EY!_

The moronic, still-singing target staggered into the moonlight,

"Showtime"

The figure was about to spring, when the character on his gi caught the moonlight

The _bad_ sign, aku, was printed boldly on his back.

"Never mind, he must just be anti-social, nobody will miss him then,"

The warrior sprang from the limb before a conscience set in.

The wooden pole came down on the unsuspecting target with the force of a rhino. His spiky-haired head hit the ground hard, knocking Sanosuke Sagara senseless. He was just able to see the face of his attacker as she took off her hood and shook her head like a dog.

"A chic? How did she…" he got no further before his body went numb and his vision went black.

The female warrior shook the hair out of her face, and stood up straight. Her employer stepped out of the shadows. "I did the request, Gohei," the femme natal, "where's my pay?" Gohei grinned at her, "Child, your pay is the fact that you are still alive." The girl fumed, but kept her temper, Gohei was the only way she could find the others. She looked at the spiky-headed fighter on the ground, "what should I do with the moron?" Gohei turned to leave, "burn it for all I care" the fighter took a sharp breath from the ground and got a good kick in the ribs. "What was that?" Gohei asked suspiciously

"Nothing," the girl said nervously, "gas escaping from his lungs, I'm sure, after all, dead people can't breathe."

_Dead? Am I dead?_

Sanosuke cracked open an eye just in time to hear,

"What should I do with the moron?"

"Burn him for all I care."

Sano panicked, dead or not he didn't want to experience being cremated. He tried to move his shoulder and pain shot through it, and he gasped in pain, and got a sharp kick in the ribs for it. What the girl said next, he couldn't hear, but he heard footsteps and one of the two people left. "jack-ass, Gohei" it was the girl that was still there. Sanosuke dared to speak, "hello?"

"Hello jack-ass, get up."

Sanosuke didn't move. She kicked him again. And he begrudgingly got up. "So, why did you try to kill me?" he asked the girl, she turned and he noticed the incredibly strange hair she had. It came down to about her shoulder blades and was mostly maroon, but highlighted in shades of red, orange, and brown. "I didn't," the girl said, "had I tried to kill you, you wouldn't be talking right now. But I attacked you because…well…you really don't need to know do you?" Sano smiled, he'd stuck a nerve, "well then how old are you?"

"Why?"

"Curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Good thing I'm not a cat then."

The girl sighed, defeated, "eighteen, you?"

"Nineteen." the girl turned to look at him, "You'd best go hide. If any of Gohei's other spies see you they won't go as easy on you. And tell your friend, the battosai, he'd better hide too." Sano had to laugh, "Ha! What does Kenshin have to be afraid of? A little girl with a stick?" in the blink of an eye she was behind him, the wooden pole she used to ambush him pressing into his throat, he found it difficult to breathe. "As a matter of fact," the girl whispered in his ear, "it will be, if he doesn't leave soon." she relaxed the pressure on Sanosuke's throat. Sano turned around to see the girl walking away calmly, "go home Sanosuke Sagara, lay low for a few weeks and if you have to go out, go in a group" she leaped onto a tree limb like a cat, "Wait!" Sanosuke called, "seeing as you know my name isn't it only fair that I know yours?"

"Sakura, Sakura Kerosaki."

And with that she jumped to a higher branch, Sano ran to the tree to follow, "GO HOME!" Sakura yelled at him, but Sanosuke continued until an arrow whizzed past his face. He heard the branches above him rustle and then stop and the rustle moved to another tree. And she was gone. Sano picked up the arrow, there was a slight scent to it. He put it in his belt and ran to the dojo, just as the sun came up.

The air smelled of Kaoru's cooking, she and Kenshin were the only ones eating the food happily while Yahiko complained loudly about the terrible cook "raccoon girl" was. It was another regular morning at the Kamia Dojo, except one thing, "Where's Sano?" Kaoru asked impatiently, "he's usually here around now either freeloading food or begging for money." Kenshin looked around and noticed this too, "Perhaps Sanosuke has found a job." For a moment the group stopped and relished the thought, and burst out laughing. Yahiko turned around to see Sanosuke running towards the dojo, "speak of the devil, here he comes now." Sano ran past them and grabbed Kenshin by the back of his kimono and said a quick, "sorrycanttalknow gottatalktokenshinforasec bye!"

Sano dragged Kenshin into the dojo and slammed the sliding door shut. "What's wrong Sano?" Kenshin asked. Sanosuke opened his mouth to talk but opened the door to reveal Yahiko who smiled nervously. Sano put one foot on his head and pushed him away from the door, closed it, and went back to kenshin, "I got the crap beaten out of me by another assassin hired by Gohei." Sanosuke began. He told Kenshin the story of how Sakura Kerosaki had the speed and guile of a phantom, and of her warning. "I know the entire scenario is no surprise but this chick really would give you a run for your money. I didn't see or hear her attack, it all happened in the blink of an eye, literally!" Kenshin began looking distant, that look he always got when he was thinking really hard. "My question is," he said, "why didn't she kill you when it seems like so much is resting on her mission? She had two chances." Sano thought about this. She had also given him so much information so easily, and even given him advice! Why? It seemed like Gohei was keeping someone hostage in exchange for her doing all his little missions. "Do you think we should listen to her warning?" Sano asked. Kenshin's eyes went dark, "Miss Kaoru has gone through enough moving Sanosuke. She deserves to settle in her home for a while without a death threat, it hasn't even been a month since I fought shishio. This is not fair to Kaoru, that it is not. I will not do that to her. I will deal with this girl before anything happens" the two got up and went outside. Kaoru rounded the corner and saw Kenshin looking very serious. "Kenshin?" she asked cautiously, the last time he had that look on, he told Kaoru he was leaving to pursue Shishio. That news had nearly killed her. It was something she never wanted to hear again. "What is it? What's wrong?" suddenly, an arrow flew past her face and hit the wall.

Sano pulled the arrow out of the wall and opened the letter attached to it,

_You have no time to deal with me, leave or die._

That's all it said.

Sanosuke looked at Kenshin, Kenshin nodded and looked at Kaoru, "we have to go Miss Kaoru."

_She walked through the strange woods calling his name, "RYU! RYU! WHERE ARE YOU?" she turned into a clearing and saw a figure on it's knees in front of a bright light it had a pair of old blue jeans on and silver hair. "RYU!" she called to him. He turned his head, "Sakura, help me." Suddenly his pupils turned white, his eyes and open mouth began to glow and he began to dissolve into that white light. Sakura leaped forward and grabbed his hand, soon her hand began to dissolve along with it. And she too was hurled into that white light._

She woke in a cold sweat. It was a memory that kept coming back as a dream. She had to get up and eat. Her pet dog, Inuyasha, cocked his head and began panting. She shook her head and realized he was probably hungry too. Then again, he was always hungry. "Let's go fatty, I need to eat too." Sakura got up and got dressed and left the little house.


End file.
